Veni, Vidi, Scripsi

EverQuest Nostalgia Tour – Fippy Darkpaw Edition

My first post on this blog, over four years ago, was about nostalgia for EverQuest, about how new and exciting and different EverQuest was on day one and wondering whether there was any way to recapture that feeling. (And I am certainly not alone in this venture.)

I have gone back to the game numerous times since then, and while it does help the memories flow back (especially the sounds from the game… odd how sounds can influence you so in a game that is primarily focused on a graphical experience) the feeling of being there on day one is something that is tough to recapture.

Worse than tough, it is probably impossible. I am too familiar with the game to feel that sense of awe I did back in March of 1999.

So I make do with a sense of nostalgia and memories.

And I have another chance for nostalgia. SOE is launching a new progression server, and they are launching it TODAY! (Though not quite yet.)

There is a FAQ up about what a progression server is, but in essence the game is held to a certain level of content, starting with the 1999 launch content (sort of) until certain events are accomplished which unlock further content. Some new stuff, like zones that received graphic updates since launch, will remain updated. And I am going to guess that we won’t be able to accidentally attack friendly NPCs by mistake as used to happen back in the day.

The server is called Fippy Darkpaw, which is especially meaningful for me since I started in Qeynos back in 1999, where that gnoll of renown lives.

Fippy Awaits

And to ensure that I take the opportunity to peek in on this new server on day one, SOE has kindly activated my account.

Account Activated

Actually, they appear to have activated all the accounts I have ever had, which is a few. I even got an email at an address indicating that my original account was still out there, though I gave it to a friend years back. He didn’t change the email address on it, or so it seems.

And SOE is certainly playing the nostalgia card with their pitch to come try out this new server.

Are you ready to relive the greatest memories that you’ve ever had in EverQuest? On February 15, 2011 you can roll a new character and jump into the Fippy Darkpaw Progression Server and race through Norrath starting with the legendary first three continents and planes. To get you started, we are thrilled to invite you to come back to play for FREE from 2/10/2011 – 2/21/2011.

How can I pass that up?

So tonight I will roll up a character. It will almost assuredly be on the Qeynos end of the world, which has received no graphics updates to my knowledge.

I am thinking about a barbarian shaman for a character.

I’m certainly not going to roll another half elf ranger. That was my first character in EQ.

I should have gone with a druid.

Anyway, we shall see what a first day server event is like nearly 12 years after the original launch.

Tarkheena and I rolled up some new characters and played all day Saturday. It made my eyes bleed. I think the hardest thing to adjust back to was the pace of the game. In spite of being sped up somewhere along the line the amount of downtime is still too much. I kept finding myself getting engrossed in the TV while the mana bar refilled. I’ll probably roll something up on Fippy but I am having a hard time seeing myself enjoying that game again.

I still play EQ. It’s still my favorite MMO. I played it in 1999 and every year since and I prefer the 2011 version. Not sure what Genda means by downtime in the modern version – with a Mercenary, which you can get free from level 1, there is no downtime. At all. (It does still take quite a long time to kill things, but I guess we’d call that “uptime”).

Nevertheless, yes I will be making a character on Fippy and footling around for a while. When I want to play EQ properly, though, I’ll be back doing it on one of my regular servers.

Hi Genda, the trick to reducing meditation time (in the modern game at least) seems to be mounts. You may have a couple waiting for you in the /claim window. The one I chose initially didn’t boost my runspeed by much and of course you can’t use them in dungeons (there may be exceptions), but being on horseback improves mana regen a ton.

I’m just back home at the end of a long day and I’m deciding what to roll on Fippy. This is the most excited I’ve been about EQ in years :-) Finally a progression server done right (or so it looks like from the server notes). If I can stave off sleep for a few more hours I’ll even get in some play time. Giant rats – here I come!